Activate Action

Water stimulates activity. Swimming, boating, sailing and fishing are popular sports, and water where these activities can be enjoyed is much desired. Property fronted by large bodies of water can be landscaped to facilitate access and enhance enjoyment of the water. Hardscape elements such as piers, boat docks or boat houses add form and function to the landscape. Keep the view from inside the house or outdoor recreation areas in mind when planning the location of constructed features.

Call to Contemplation

Water invites tranquility and meditation. Whether crashing ocean waves, trickling creeks or still-water ponds, water calms and soothes, leading to quiet contemplation. Waterfront landscapes can encourage peaceful activity through waterside seating arrangements and gazebos. From a bench placed strategically at the water's edge to a tiled-roof gazebo at the end of a pier, a place to sit and think while enjoying waterside breezes is a valuable landscape feature.

Transition

Plantings of palms, ornamental grasses and spiky-leaved plants such as iris, croscosmia, Spanish dagger (Yucca gloriosa "Variegata"), ferns and large-leaved banana trees near bulkheads or retaining walls lend a tropical atmosphere and create a transition zone between lawn and functional elements. Natural ponds, streams, lakes or rivers benefit ecologically when a transition zone of native plants is kept between the water's edge and the yard or garden. Native plants generally require very little maintenance or fertilization, making them carefree and environmentally supportive.

Retaining Walls

Retaining walls, bulkheads and riprap -- stones or boulders covering the water's edge -- prevent erosion of waterfront property. Landscaping erosion-controlled property is quite different from landscaping natural water edges. Because fill dirt creates a level surface right up to the wall or stones, grass can be sown and kept mowed, or draping plants can be planted to spill over the side and soften the edge. Check with state and local building officials for laws governing construction of bulkheads and other structures near or in water in your area, as bulkheading and retaining walls can have a negative impact on marine ecology.

About the Author

A licensed mental health therapist and professional flower producer, Judy Kilpatrick earned a Bachelor of Arts in communications and a Master of Science in marriage and family therapy from East Carolina University. Kilpatrick began writing in 1982, and has been published in regional and national publications.

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